Traditionally, access to music and video was through the purchase of albums, compact discs, video cassettes and the like. In order to establish a music or video library, the purchaser generally established their own catalogue or registry of music/video material accumulated over time which could be used to create playlists and the like through simple recording systems.
In recent times, music and video distribution over the Internet has become increasingly popular due largely to advances in efficient electronic file formats which make media files small enough to be downloaded over the Internet practical. With the speed of Internet connections also increasing, downloading media files, such as music and videos, over the Internet has become commonplace. Such files are able to be stored in digital music players, computer music software or burned to storage formats such as CD or DVD writable disks, non volatile memory cards and the like.
With the increased popularity of downloadable media files, a variety of software applications have been developed to assist users in downloading, playing and organising their media files. Perhaps one of the most popular applications available for this purpose is that referred to as iTunes®, which is a media player and media library application developed by Apple, Inc. The iTunes® application is able to be downloaded to personal electronic devices such as digital music players, tablets, phones, laptops and personal computers and is used to play, download and organise digital audio and video files in accordance with a user's preferences. This can include the ability for individuals to create playlists of their files based on any number of criteria and to share these playlists with other users over a network.
While the increased availability and accessibility of electronic media files has been an important development for the personal enjoyment of such media, significant advantages have also been achieved in commercial environments, which utilise available media for such purposes as advertising and movie and television soundtracks and scores. Traditionally, the accessibility and awareness of new artists has been limited somewhat by the traditional media recording systems, where the availability of new music and new artists has relied upon the ability of those artists to release their music in a traditional album of CD form where it may be heard and used.
For music companies that provide and source music and video for use by advertising agencies or film and television production studios, the ability to download media files that can be readily sampled, classified and stored for future use, provides an efficient means for individuals working in the industry to service their clients. Such accessibility to the media files also enables such companies to readily expand their awareness of new artists and media, which enables them to provide greater options to their clients to suit their needs and requirements.
In such commercial environments, a music company may receive a briefing from a client, such as an advertising agency, to source a piece of music or video that may be suitable for use in an advertisement or as background music. The client may provide some indication of the type of music/video they require and rely upon the company providing them with a variety of suitable options from which to choose. The music company may search their database of relevant files and typically rely upon the expertise of their staff to identify and collate the various media files for transmission to the client via an email or a dedicated file-sharing medium, depending upon the size of the individual files. The client can then review each file and determine whether any of those files are suitable to their needs.
It will be appreciated that such a system of searching, collating and transmitting multiple media files can be a time consuming and labour intensive exercise. The success of the task is largely reliant on the expertise and knowledge of the individual performing the task and their knowledge of the existing library of files. Hence, should the individual leave the company the skill and knowledge of that individual is typically lost to the company as well. Further to this, the need to download and upload files is also time consuming depending upon the size of the files and the speed of the network in which the files are being transferred.
Thus, for such applications, there is a need to provide a system and method for facilitating the creation and sharing of electronic media playlists that allows for a degree of collaboration in the creation of the playlists and improves the manner in which the files are transferred within the system.
The above references to and descriptions of prior proposals or products are not intended to be, and are not to be construed as, statements or admissions of common general knowledge in the art. In particular, the above prior art discussion does not relate to what is commonly or well known by the person skilled in the art, but assists in the understanding of the inventive step of the present invention of which the identification of pertinent prior art proposals is but one part.